Netflix has canceled 'Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj' as it continues to struggle with topical talk shows

• Netflix has canceled its variety talk series "Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj" after two years.
• It follows other variety talk shows the streamer has canceled, like "The Break with Michelle Wolf" and "The Joel McHale Show."
• Netflix's reality TV boss, Brandon Riegg, told The New York Times last year that the genre was "a challenge for us as an on-demand service."

Netflix has canceled "Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj" after two years. It's the latest variety talk series on the streaming giant to get the ax.

Similar to HBO's "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver," each episode tackled a different newsworthy topic. Episodes were released weekly, a deviation from Netflix's usual strategy of dropping entire seasons at once, but in line with its strategy for other variety talk shows.

Minhaj made the announcement on Twitter on Tuesday: "What a run. @patriotact has come to an end. I got to work with the best writers, producers, researchers, and animators in the game. My 2 babies were born and grew up with the show. TY to @Netflix and everyone who watched."

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Netflix has struggled with the variety talk genre. It had previously canceled shows like "Chelsea," "The Break with Michelle Wolf," and "The Joel McHale Show." Each lasted only one or two seasons.

When it first debuted, "Patriot Act" seemed like it would be the variety series to go the distance for Netflix. When it premiered in 2018, consumer-insights company Crimson Hexagon found that "Patriot Act" was talked about more and better received in online conversations.

The show was a critical hit, as well, with the first season gaining a 100% Rotten Tomatoes critic score.

"[It] doesn't run away from political comedy convention while also aiming for something just different enough to make it stand apart," Variety wrote about season one.

Two other Netflix variety talk shows, "The Fix" and "Norm Macdonald Has a Show," haven't been formally canceled, but have only aired one season each since debuting in 2018. David Letterman's "My Next Guest Needs No Introduction" has fared better, but is on an irregular release schedule.

In a statement to a New York Times piece last year with the headline "Netflix Has a Talk Show Problem," Netflix's reality TV boss, Brandon Riegg, admitted that variety talk shows were a challenge for the streamer.

"The timeliness of the genre is a challenge for us as an on-demand service," Riegg said. "We've worked with many talented artists to pioneer talk shows for streaming audiences, and although some shows ended, we hope everyone involved is proud of what they created."